UNIT 1 - Reading and Writing for Personal Success

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Unit Description

The unit builds on diagnostic and formative assessments of reading and writing to evaluation of reading and writing. Students examine their reading habits, strategies, and attitudes, and review and apply stages of the writing process to produce required forms of writing. Students have multiple opportunities to practise their skills and strategies, receive feedback as they build their reading and writing skills. They are encouraged to take personal responsibility for their learning. The structure of daily classes is established as students engage in independent reading, and cross-curricular work. They set goals and reflect about their reading and writing skills in the learning journal. The emphasis in this unit is on graphic texts, which are examined in students’ course materials as well as in their reading outside of school.

Activity 1.1 - Introduction to the course


Complete the Reading Survey

In groups, create bar graphs to illustrate the text types on the survey.
Answer these questions:
  • What general conclusions can you make about the reading habits of our class?
  • What gets read the most? The least?
  • What types of reading require you to be most accurate?

Activity 1.2 - Create a summary


According to the dictionary a summary is "a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form; "he gave a summary of the conclusions".
Use the data from the class reading survey to write a summary. Here are the steps:
  1. In point form, list what is important about the data.
  2. In point form, list conclusions you can draw from the data
  3. In sentence form, state what the survey was looking for.
  4. In sentence form, list what is important about the data
  5. In sentence form, list the conclusions you drew from the data.
  6. Put steps 3, 4, and 5 together as a paragraph.
Consider this your rough draft.

Activity 1.3 - Connecting words


The ideas in the rough draft of your summary can be ordered in a variety of way. e.g., least to most important, by rank order, chronological order. Each idea needs to be linked to the next. Take a look at the following list of Transition Words.
  1. If there are any words you don't understand:
    1. copy them into your notebook
    2. define them
    3. put them on the word wall.
  2. Revise your draft to re-order your points and incorporate appropriate transition words.
  3. If you haven't already done so, add a concluding sentence.

Activity 1.4 - Independent Reading


Library visit and/or bringing something you like reading (or might find interesting) from home.
  1. At the computers in the library
    1. Go to toondoo.com
    2. Register - don't get clever with your username or password. YOU have to remember them!
    3. Create an avatar.Play with the features.
Go to your smail account
    1. Wait for instructions from me.
  1. This will be your blog site. It is where you will be hosting your reading log and learning journal
    1. What's a reading log? Why, look below and find out.
    2. What's a learning journal? Each week you will be required to create and post a reflection based on the reading you've done that week. We'll start off short but it will get longer over the course. For now it is merely one (1) paragraph (but it can be longer if you wish). You will find the rubric for the Learning Journal on the rubrics page.

Date
 Type of Text
 Type, Title,
and Author
 Length of text and amount read
 Reading Purpose
Feb. 9, 2009
 Information
(history)
 pamphlet
The Causes of the 1837 Rebellion”
P. Burton
 two pages long
read one page
 to understand the reasons for the 1837 Rebellion






NOTE: *During the term, YOU MUST read and independently demonstrate for evaluation their understanding of a minimum of two narrative texts, four graphic texts, and five informational texts selected by the teacher.

Activity 1.5 - Understanding Levels of Language


Activity 1.5a

  1. Listen to short segments from two or three very different radio stations. How do each use different vocabulary, tone, pace, speech rhythms, purpose, and audience.
  2. Listen to the following clips from three different radio stations
  3. In small groups or pairs, create a brief graphic representation, showing relationship, or a comparison chart noting the differences in vocabulary, tone, pace, and rhythms of speech used, and discuss the content.

Activity 1.5b

  1. · In pairs to write one of the following dialogues between two people who share common interests and who meet in a supermarket or in the workplace or at a party in a job interview or asking for directions
  2. In pairs, read your scripts to the class.
  3. Compare and contrast word choice, tone, pace, rhythm, and the content of what has been said in order to assess the appropriateness of the language to its context.
  4. What are the differences between formal and informal language; the many possible levels of language; the concept of a target audience; and the importance of matching level of language to a target audience and context.

Activity 1.5c

In small groups examine the following written materials and:
  • identify a target audience for the material and provide reasons for their choices;
  • rank these materials in terms of their success using language that matches the target audience;
  • give reasons for your ranking.
Each group will
  1. Select a particular sample and discuss its target audience and use of language.
  2. Present to the class your opinion about the target audience of the sample piece and how successfully the level of language in the selected material matches that audience.
  3. Review the structure of the opinion paragraph: opinion statement; supporting details and examples; concluding sentence; link words and phrases.
  4. Using one of the groups’ responses, demonstrate a first draft of an opinion paragraph that might begin with an opinion such as: “_ does a fantastic/terrible job of matching its target market,” or “The use of language in _ is very well matched to its target audience.”
  5. Review the stages of the writing process (pre-writing, conferring, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and publishing). Clarify the difference between revision (re-thinking ideas) and editing (examining accuracy and clarity of language).
  6. Write an opinion paragraph, using my paragraph as a model.
  7. Submit your polished opinion paragraph for assessment.

Activity 1.6 - Understanding Textbook Features


What makes textbooks challenging to read?
  1. Look at telephone directories, menus, bus schedules, newspaper classifieds, and television guides. Find specific details, such as what bus to take to a particular location or your favourite food on the menu.
  2. Scan various textbooks for features of text, such as table of contents, chapters, glossary, index, sidebars, index, margin notes, box inserts, headings and subheadings, graphics, colour text and colour washes. Record features on the board.
  3. There are two “languages” at work in the texts: the “language” of the actual words, and the “language” of the graphic elements: lines, shape, colour, motion.
  4. Select a subject textbook of personal relevance on which to do a detailed analysis, individually. Use the scavenger hunt How Is the Textbook Organized to locate specific information.
  5. Use the information to support your opinions in an opinion paragraph on this topic: “This textbook, "Textbook Name" , is easy/average/challenging for students to use because...”

Activity 1.6a

  1. Look at a variety of texts with graphic elements: charts, tables, illustrated diagrams, graphs, illustrations, photographs, etc. List the different types of graphics found in the text.
  2. In groups, examine at least three samples of the same type of graphic text, such as a pie graph, line graph, schedule, or table and write a set of instructions on chart paper explaining to a peer how to read this graphic. Review the charts and suggest additions and clarifications. Post their charts around the classroom.
  3. Use the posted charts and their graphic samples to explain how to read a particular type of graphic text to their classmates.
  4. Write an information paragraph on how to read informational material with graphic elements such as a textbook.
  5. Individually, select/rewrite a sentence you wish to use as your topic sentence, order the points reviewed in group work that you wish to include in your paragraph, and write your draft.
  6. Using feedback from the teacher, their group, and referring to the posted lists of transitions, revise their draft and submit a polished copy for evaluation.

Activity 1.7 - Reading Strategies

  1. Answer the following questions in a blog post. Title the Blog post: Reflections on Reading a Textbook"
    1. What strategies are you already using to track ideas during reading?
    2. What is the value of using sticky notes or highlighters for tracking and recording ideas during reading.
    3. What is the value of using visual/graphic forms for note-making .
    4. Which is better for you? Why?
  2. Produce a 3 paragraphs expressing an explaining what are the three most important before-reading, during-reading and after-reading strategies that every reader should know how to use when reading a textbook.
  3. Use the writing process – drafting, conferring with a partner, organizing, revising, editing – in class to construct your series of paragraphs.
  4. Independently, reflect in your learning journals on your strengths and challenges in reading and writing, set goals for your improvement, and submit your reflection for evaluation.
  5. Place your work in your literacy portfolio.